Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Lighting a candle of remembrance for those who've lost their lives to domestic violence behind the blue wall, for strength and wisdom to those still there, and a non-ending prayer for those who thought they had escaped but can't stop being afraid.

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Saturday, May 7, 2011

...She took great pride in her job as a corrections officer for the Nez Perce County Sheriff's department and later doing PSR and case management for local counseling agencies. Her next career goal was to earn her Master of Social Work...The two most important people in Beth's life - her sons, Joey and Joshua...

WHO KNEW WHAT WHEN?...officers had responded to disputes between the couple for the past couple years...

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF IDAHO, IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF NEZ PERCE

COMPLAINT - CRIMINAL

CASE NO. CR11-03454

STATE OF IDAHO

Plaintiff,

vs.

JOSEPH A THOMAS JR.,

D.O.B. 09/10/1973

Defendant

Excerpt:

COUNT 1

MURDER IN TEH FIRST DEGREE, I.C. 18-4001, 18-4002 AND 18-4003(a) a felony

That the Defendant JOSEPH A. THOMAS JR., on or about the 1st day of May 2011, in the County of Nez Perce, state of Idaho, did willfully, unlawfully, deliberately, with premeditation, and with malice aforethought kill and murder BETH IRBY-THOMAS, a human being, by strangulation and/or asphyxiation from which she died... [LINK]

FORMER NEZ PERCE CO. SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ARRESTED ON MURDER CHARGE

KLEW

Published: May 1, 2011

Updated: May 2, 2011

[Excerpts] Lewiston Police say the death of a Lewiston woman was a homicide and that her husband is under arrest for the crime. Police responded to 310 8th Ave. at around 1. a.m Sunday morning. There, they said they found Beth Irby-Thomas, 28, and her ex-husband Joseph A. Thomas. Irby-Thomas was lying on the floor, unconscious. CPR was performed by Lewiston Police officers and Lewiston Fire Dept. medics. She was transported to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead... Thomas, 37, a former Nez Perce Co. Sheriff's deputy, was arrested at the scene without incident and booked into the Nez Perce County Jail on one count of first degree murder. Police say the couple's two small children were removed from the residence and placed with family members. It's believed they were sleeping in another room during the incident... Thomas had been working for Nez Perce Tribal Police when he was hired as a deputy in 2006. They said he was terminated in 2010 based on performance. [Full article here]

JOSEPH THOMAS CRIMINAL COMPLAINT FILED

Lewiston Tribune

by brad

02 May 2011

[Excerpts]

A Lewiston woman killed inside of her home early Sunday is believed to have died of strangulation, police said today... Irby-Thomas’ ex-husband, Joseph A. Thomas Jr., has been arrested in connection with his ex-wife’s death. Thomas, 37, is charged with one count of first-degree murder alleging strangulation and/or asphyxiation... Thomas is being held in the Nez Perce County Jail without bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11... [Full article here]

POLICE BELIEVE WOMAN DIED OF STRANGULATION

Lewiston Tribune Breaking News

May 2, 2011

[Excerpts] ...Police responded to the home after a third-party report that Thomas' ex-husband, Joseph A. Thomas, had just left another residence after allegedly making statements about the death of his ex-wife, Lewiston Police Capt. Roger Lanier said in a statement. Joseph Thomas, 37, was at his ex-wife's home when officers arrived, and arrested on first-degree murder charges after an interview with Lewiston investigators at the police department... He made his initial appearance in court today via a video conference from the jail... Detectives are continuing to conduct interviews and doing searches as part of their investigation into Beth Thomas' death. An autopsy is scheduled for today, but Lanier said results are not expected for several dayS... Sheriff Dale Buttrey said Sunday he is being held in a segregated part of the jail... [Full article here]

EX DEPUTY HELD WITHOUT BOND ON MURDER CHARGE

klewtv.com

By Zach Whitney

May 4, 2011

[Excerpts] ... According to a probable cause affidavit, a 911 call came in from Thomas' friend, Guy Arnzen early Sunday morning, that Thomas said he had killed his ex-wife and as Arnzen was calling police, Thomas told him not to. When officers arrived at 310 8th Avenue, Thomas was at the home and officers found Irby-Thomas' body inside under a pile of blankets and pillows. Police say Thomas told them he and Irby-Thomas had been talking Saturday evening, and that when he left the house, she was alive... [Captain Roger] Lanier said officers had responded to disputes between the couple for the past couple years... Thomas will be back in court for a preliminary hearing next week. [Full article here]

BETH MARIE IRBY-THOMAS, 28, LEWISTON

Lewiston Tribune

May 5th, 2011

[Excerpts] Beth Marie Irby-Thomas, our beautiful girl, was taken from us tragically Sunday, May 1, 2011. She was 28... Beth approached every job she ever had with the hope of helping others. She took great pride in her job as a corrections officer for the Nez Perce County Sheriff's department and later doing PSR and case management for local counseling agencies. Her next career goal was to earn her Master of Social Work... The two most important people in Beth's life arrived on June 10, 2007, and Dec. 3, 2008. Her sons, Joey and Joshua, were her everything. She was a dedicated mother who did all she could for them. As one family member put it, "She lived and breathed those boys" ... Beth is survived by her sons... as well as her parents... Beth also leaves behind her grandparents... as well as great-grandparents... An account to help pay for the care of Beth's boys has been established in her name at Potlatch Credit Union. The family asks that memorial donations be made there or to the YWCA domestic violence shelter. We miss you and love you, Bethy. [Full death notice here]

God bless the Irby family. They were friends to us when we lived in Lewiston. My daughter and Beth were best friends then. So sorry we lost touch with each other over the years. Our hearts go out to the family and the special children she leaves behind. May God Bless each of them.

JOSEPH THOMAS: I DIDN'T KILL HERThe Lewiston TribuneSandra L. LeeDecember 12, 2011 Updated: 10:01 am, Tue Dec 13, 2011.[Excerpts] The subject matter in this story may be considered offensive by some. It was the first question out of the bag Monday morning. Defense attorney Paul Thomas Clark asked his client, Joseph A. Thomas Jr., if he killed Beth Irby-Thomas. "I absolutely positively did not hurt, harm, or kill our sons' mother or my ex-wife, no," Thomas replied... Thomas said during several hours of direct and cross-examination that he can't explain some of his actions that night, such as why he left the house and went to Arnzen's after finding his ex-wife's body instead of immediately calling 911... Prosecutor Daniel Spickler hammered at him for more than 21/2 hours... After her death, she was found with his belt so tight around her neck that the first officer on the scene testified he had to work for several seconds to pry it loose... Under cross-examination, he said he may have sat in his car for several minutes either outside the house or outside Arnzen's house. The drive between the two is two or three minutes, Thomas said, but his cellphone records indicate a 13-minute telephone call to his sister in another state during that time. He said he didn't remember that call until seeing some paperwork later... In other statements, Thomas said he bites his nails to the point they bleed. The blood spots on his pants, instead of being spatters as described earlier, were consistent with his habit of touching his bleeding fingers to the sides of pants, he said... [Full article here]

TESTIMONY CONTRADICTS JOSEPH A. THOMAS JUNIOR'S PRIMARY DEFENSEklewtv.comBy Whitney HiseStory Published: Dec 9, 2011LEWISTON, ID - Day two of the murder trial of a former Nez Perce County Sheriffs deputy saw testimony from the prosecution that called Joseph A. Thomas Junior's primary defense into question. The defense has previously contended that Thomas and his ex-wife Beth Irby-Thomas engaged in the act of autoerotic asphyxiation in the past, and that her death was accidental. Pathologist John D. Howard said there was no evidence found of sexual activity after an autopsy was performed on the victim. Nez Perce County Prosecutor Dan Spickler pointed out that, in the opening statement, Defense Attorney Tom Clark stated sexual activity did occur. However, Howard's testimony suggests otherwise. http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/Testimony-contradicts--135273298.html

Beth he is still lying but this time people seen through the lies and he didn't get away with it! He has been exposed and I pray your soul can rest peacefully now. I will continue to pray through out my life for your boys.My heart breaks that you will not get to see them grow and they will not know their Mommy, peace to you young mother taken too soon.

I don't understand why this court proceeding was the in this same small community as the incident!!! Where was the Jury from??? Where was the Judge from??? Don't try to tell any of us that they all had no per-knowledge of this trial!! This is a great man involved in a crazy relationship with two kids involved!!! A re-trial in a remote community where all information is allowed to be available would definitely result in a different reaction! Get this Innocent man out and back with his children that need him now more than ever! This is insane that this small community can get away with this, Most of you are so naive to the facts and judge from what you've heard from the media, or friends, or family....Just stop, and figure out you're own drama and quit posting on things you don't know about!

To Beth's people. Don't worry. I let that through... but it probably won't happen again here.

When our police chief committed murder-suicide on his sweet wife, HIS SISTER came out publishing all the horrible things he had told her about his wife - as if it were fact, as if she had been present. It was shocking. But I learned when I started doing this blog that it happens all the time. (Especially sisters for some reason. Of course moms.) Not always but very very often.

To the anonymous person who wrote that - you are probably a family member or intimate of his. You are badmouthing a murdered woman. THAT is the outrage.

I am NOT from the community where this happened, and the truth is clear from hundreds of miles away.

Admin, You should know the facts, not what the media reports or a grieving mother states. If you want the truth, Im sure you do not then we can post the facts. If you want the truth of who was an abuser, we can do that. All tragedies are not crimes. Do you want truth or just libel statements? You do not know of the evidence that was mishandled or not let in do you? People should know there will be a day when the truth will be shown...what will you say then? Probably some other justification? Lies? If you want it, we will show it soon!

Thank you Behind the Blue Wall for keeping this blog mediated throughout the trial and for insight from past blogging experience. One of your very first post hit this right on the head when you talked about the kind of man that grooms the victim, his and her friends, coworkers and family. She is not the 1st victim of this grooming by him and not everyone can see through it thank you for shedding light. Sometimes families don't know everything about their loved one and everyone including family should be encouraging him to be accountable for the 1st time in his life.

So sad, I knew Joe from before he was a cop and was even thinking of going into business with him. I was so shocked to hear the news. I am sorry I will be missing my friend. I hope that god can heal all the wounds of this crime. RIP Beth. Good luck Joe.